


Nothing Like Winter in the Summer

by iiEmber



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-12 02:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9051880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iiEmber/pseuds/iiEmber
Summary: It took hundreds of years for the descendants of the original core of survivors to finally band together. With each other’s help, they started to restore civilization. They carved cities out of ice and started to find a way to form a way of life in the harsh hell they were given. It was far from perfect, but it worked. Humanity had a slight chance of living again. The time system is brought back into place. The years roll by and soon enough it's the year 1789. Life resembles the colonial era. It isn’t great, but it isn’t bad either. This is the new modern life. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________James Madison travels alone. He's always fended for himself in his harsh world. That all changes when he finds a map that leads to the Emerald Islands, a warm paradise that could be the salvation of humanity. Thomas Jefferson, a city boy, discovers what's in Madison's possession and immediately demands to be brought along. Together, along with a few others, they embark on a journey that could either save them all or end up killing them.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know what I'm doing, but.... enjoy? I'll try to update two-three times a week.

They said the blizzard was to be expected. It was only a temporary side effect. Nothing bad was to come of it. They said that the storm was nothing compared to the fact that they had ended global warming. That’s why no one panicked when it started snowing in July. In fact people, started rejoicing. People believe that the storm was a sign that global warming was something of the past. This sense of joy blinded people. 

At first, the scientists said that there was only going to be a light dusting of snow. The storm proceeded to prove the scientists wrong by dumping a foot of snow over every inch of land, regardless of its position on the globe. The people didn’t care. They still believed the storm was a sign that the world was ready to progress. 

In response to the storm’s queer behaviour, scientists began running tests to see where they had gone wrong in their calculations. The results that were yielded from the tests were enough to send the scientific world into a panic. The storm wasn’t going to stop any time soon. That combined with the fact that the world’s temperature was quickly plummeting spelled disaster to anyone who wasn’t too blind to see. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of the population could sense that disaster was imminent. 

The general populace only started panicking when the immense amount of snow knocked out the power grid. The snow prevented anyone from being able to go out and fix it. It soon became crystal clear that modern civilization was about to tank. There was no electricity, no way to get supplies, and no way to travel or ship supplies. Those who had the foresight to prepare survived. The rest died. 

People reverted to the primitive hunter gatherer style of life. But they were not unchallenged in this way of life. New beasts had been accidentally created as yet another side effect of ending global warming. The chemicals that had been used to induce the cooling had also infected the water animals drank. This caused them to mutate into beasts that used to only live in nightmares. Yet more people died. 

Only the hardiest of plants survived. The storm clouds blocked out a majority of sun that plants needed. The humans who could not adapt to hunting died. The survivors dwindled once more.  
Modern weaponry and tools became non existent. Metal rusted and slowly fell apart over time. No matter how well these things were crafted, they could not withstand the pressure of time. Humanity had to learn how to revert back to using things such as bows and wooden swords. Those who didn’t were left for dead. 

People started to turn on each other. There were not enough supplies for everyone to get some. It turned into kill or be killed. Only the toughest, smartest, and quickest humans survived; and they were all isolated from one another. 

It took hundreds of years for the descendants of the original core of survivors to finally band together. With each other’s help, they started to restore civilization. They carved cities out of ice and started to find a way to form a way of life in the harsh hell they were given. It was far from perfect, but it worked. Humanity had a slight chance of living again. 

The time system is brought back into place. The years roll by and soon enough it's the year 1789. Life resembles the colonial era. It isn’t great, but it isn’t bad either. This is the new modern life.

Welcome folks, to the modern ice age.


	2. Chapter 2

Surrounded. James hadn’t meant for this to happen. In one hand he tightly clenched a small, silver dagger. It’s needle sharp point glinted in the pale sunlight that filtered through the blanket of white storm clouds. It was a rare object that James had found while scavenging by the river banks. Metal objects were hard to come by these days. The mere presence of his dagger calmed him. 

In the other hand, James clutched his satchel close to his chest. Everything he owned was in the bag. In addition to that, there was something else James had recently acquired that was of the utmost importance. If they wanted his satchel, they would have to take it out of his, cold, dead hands. 

There were seven people forming a semicircle around him. All were dressed in shirts and pants made from the ragged grey furs of a wolfbear. A cold, biting wind blew their wisps of hair out of their faces. Some of them wore jagged frowns on their faces, a thin, cracked slash that seemed to radiate pure anger. Others had eyes that were crinkled with desperation, their lips a straight painful, line on their pale faces. 

“Give us the map,” snarled the man right in front of him. James shook his head quickly and took a timid step back. He had went through hell to get the damn map and there was no way he was going to give it up now. 

“If you know what’s fucking good for you, you’ll give it to us.” The people around James started closing in on him, the crunching of snow under their feet ringing loudly through the dead silence of the still landscape. In the distance James though he could hear a perpetual crunching, but that might have just been his overactive imagination trying to find some hope in a hopeless situation. No one was going to save him. 

James continued to stumble backwards as he considered his options. He could hand over the map (not worth considering), fight (nearly impossible; he was greatly outnumbered), or he could try to run. 

James was about to take off when he heard a high pitched whistle cut through the relative silence. A second later, the woman on his left crumpled to the ground with the shaft of an arrow sticking out of her chest. James stared around, bewildered as the other people standing around him fell. With wide eyes, he looked up to see a tall man riding something that might have once been a black horse. (It looked like a horse except it had exceptionally long hair) 

Mounted on the horse was a tall, lean man with hazelnut brown skin and a dark afro. An easy smile played across his lips as he dismounted his horse and landed with a crunch on the ground, splintering the thin layer of ice. With confident strides, he made his way over to James. 

“Did you see those shots?” The man asked, a southern drawl clear in his voice, “They were almost as perfect as my face. All of those scavengers were dead before they realized what hit em.” 

James looked up at the man, brow crinkled with confusion. What was happening? 

“The name’s Thomas Jefferson,” the man said, grinning, “I haven’t seen you before. Who might you be?” 

“J-james Madison.” James wasn’t quite sure what about this man flustered him.

Thomas’s grin grew even wider as he grabbed James’ hand and shook it vigorously. “Nice to meet ya, James. Now, are you going to tell me why those scavengers were after you? Could it have to do with this?” 

Thomas plucked James’ satchel out of his hands before he could react. “Hey,” James cried indignantly, “Give that back!” 

”Hey,” Thomas said, eyebrow cocked, “I just saved your ass, James. You owe me.” 

“Why did you save me anyway,” James asked curiously. 

“I wouldn’t want to see a pretty little face like yours get messed up, amirite?” Thomas wiggled his eyebrows. James bewilderment must have shown on his face because a moment later Jefferson tilted his head back and started laughing. 

“Aren’t you the cutest thing,” Thomas teased, “Now let’s see what’s in this bag.” James’s brown elk-skin satchel wasn’t big. Thomas quickly sorted through the it. James couldn’t help but wince at the sight of his carefully organized supplies being dumped unceremoniously on the ground. 

“Let’s see here,” Thomas muttered, “Useless shit...canister...more shit...bigger shit…” 

James huffed in annoyance, “You know not all my stuff is useless.” 

Thomas looked up and shrugged. “You can trade pretty much anything in a city to get this stuff.” 

James’s cocked his head. “People trade in the city? Don’t you have a currency or something like that?” 

Thomas’s eyes grew as wide as full moons. “We don’t have a currency. We trade stuff to get by. Do you not live in the city? Do you travel in a pack or something?” 

James shrugged as he said, “I travel alone. I’ve been doing so for a while now.”  
Thomas shook his head in disbelief before muttering, “Sweet jesus. How the hell can you survive on your own in this wasteland?”

“I learned how to take care my self,” James responded. 

Thomas gestured wildly, “But why alone? Don’t you have friends or family you could travel with?” 

James’s eyes darkened. I can’t travel with a family that’s either dead or missing, James thought bitterly. 

Thomas, who seemed to sense that this was a taboo topic, quickly went back to rifling through James’s possessions. He had nearly finished sorting through the bag when he came across a small roll of heavy, wrinkled, yellowish paper. James watched as Thomas unfurled and read the contents of the paper with eyes that were wide once more. “Dammit,” he said breathlessly, “Is this a map to the Emerald Islands?” (The Emerald Islands are not to be confused with Ireland) 

James, who had expected this reaction, nodded calmly. The Emerald Islands were something that had once been considered a myth. Supposedly it was a cluster of islands near the equator that wasn’t covered in snow or filled with monsters. It was a small paradise in a hell like world. People used to dismiss the islands as a children’s tale. People began to believe after people started to return, bringing back large, lime green palm leaves or blades of grass; both which were an uncommon sight in their own frigid wasteland. 

“Holy shit,” Thomas said, still in disbelief, “Where did you get this?”

Maps were nearly impossible to find. The initial dampness from the snow had destroyed many important documents that had existed during the BIA: Before the Ice Age. (Also known as BSFUO: Before the Scientists Fucked Us Over) time period. The lost of paper documents was also why no one quite knew what life was like before. People had to rely on the stories of predecessors. Some people would have you believe that giant chunks of metal could float in the air. 

“I found it in an airtight cellar. It was hidden from view by a mound of snow,” James answered. 

“How did you know the cellar was their? Thomas inquired with a raised eyebrow.

In reality, James had accidentally tripped and face planted onto the mound while he was walking. Jefferson didn’t need to know that. Fantasies and lies were perfectly fine. Screw reality. 

“I found it when I decided to make a camp by it for the night,” James said, not quite meeting Thomas’s eyes. 

Luckily, Thomas still was too distracted by the map to notice James’s lie. “We need to bring this back to the city,” Thomas stated, quickly repacking the supplies he had scattered everywhere. 

“Whoa, slow down there,” James exclaimed, “What do you mean go to the city. What city is this? I’ve been fine without any cities in my life.” 

“We need to get this to Washington’s city,” Thomas replied hurriedly, “We can get supplies and launch an expedition to the Emerald Islands. If he validates the map we can set off together to find the islands.” 

“Why should I go with you and give this Washington the map?” James asked, arms crossed over his chest, “I've been on my own for ages and I don’t really want any help.” 

“Come on James,” Thomas groaned, “You seem like a sharp guy. If we go to Washington he can give us supplies for the journey. Plus we could help lead a bunch of people to a better life.”  
Thomas emphasized the last part of his little speech. James groaned inwardly. The man had somehow already figured out that targeting James’s moral compass was a sure way to get his support. The thought of leading everyone to a world where snow, coldness, and sickness wasn’t the norm warmed him. James was a sap that way. He couldn’t just leave anyone behind in this frigid hell. 

In addition to that, the thought of new supplies was also quite tempting. Having that would make his trip much easier. Besides, it didn’t look like he had much of a choice. Thomas had in his possession all of James’s stuff aside from his little dagger. James couldn’t see a way for him to get into a fight with this man and come out alive. He had seen the deadly accuracy of Thomas's bow. 

“Fine,” James sighed, hands up in defeat, “I’ll come.” 

Thomas broke out into a wide smile, all of his perfect white teeth showing. “I knew you would come around, Jemmy.”

James frowned. Jemmy? Where did that come from? 

Thomas gave James’s his satchel and proceeded to jump onto his midnight black horse with the grace and agility of a gymnast. “Well,” Thomas asked, left eyebrow raised, “Are you getting on?” 

James sighed and mounted the horse with considerably less grace. If Thomas had the grace of a ballerina, then James had the grace of a drunken elephant in a tea shop. It was a wonder that he had survive on his own for this long. 

Thomas adjusted the bridles on his horse before turning back to James. “You might want to hold on,” Thomas said. 

James lightly wrapped his arms around Thomas’s waist. 

“Oh come one,” Thomas laughed. Although James had just met the man, he was willing to bet that Thomas was wiggling his eyebrows again. “You can hold on tighter than that. I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.” 

James closed his eyes for a brief moment. This man seemed to be gifted in the Make Madison Uncomfortable area. After an awkward pause, James strengthened his grip and pulled himself in so there was no space for even a mouse between the two. Thomas laughed again and James couldn’t suppress his eye roll. 

“Ready?” Thomas called out, “You don’t really need to answer that cuz I’m going to go no matter what your answer is.” 

Another second later they were tearing across the snowy land. The horse’s wide, light hoofs allowed it to move quickly across the snow without leaving too much of an indent despite carrying a heavy load. James held on to Thomas’s waist, praying that he wouldn’t fall off. 

Everything about this was strange. Some random stranger saved him and was now taking him to a city, a place he had only dreamt of before. He was going to embark on a journey to the Emerald Islands with this same stranger. This should be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment and make suggestions. Comments and kudos are really helpful. Thank you for putting up with and reading this crap I wrote!


	3. Chapter 3

Thomas gripped the reigns of his horse tightly as he maneuvered between the towering pine trees. Their slim, green needles were coated in a layer of shining ice that glittered in the light. At times the forest could really be quite stunning. Even the horrendous things in life could have a touch of beauty. 

Behind him James continued to hang on to Thomas’s waist with a death grip. His head was buried in the small of Thomas’s back in an attempt to block out his surroundings. 

“Hey,” Thomas called out teasingly, “You don’t have to hold on so tight.” Honestly, Thomas didn’t mind. In fact, he found a small part of him enjoying the close contact. The truth was, Thomas enjoyed seeing Madison flustered. Hey, call me cruel, Thomas thought nonchalantly, but flustered Madison is adorable. 

“Sorry,” Madison mumbled back, “But every time I look up I see us going full speed towards a tree. Plus I think I’m about to fall off this horse.” 

Thomas couldn’t help but grin. With a tug of the reigns, Thomas slowed his horse down so they were no longer flying across the snowy lands at the speed of a hurtling comet. 

After ten more minutes of riding, Thomas finally slowed the horse down to a crawl. Despite being entrapped by James’s arms, Thomas managed to turn around to face James. “Hey,” Thomas said, “We made it to the city without dying. You should give me a medal.” 

James tentatively raised his head before sighing and basically falling off the horse. “Thank god,” James gasped. 

Thomas slipped off the horse and pulled James back up to his feet and brushed off the snow that had gotten stuck to the short, brown fur clothes he was wearing. James muttered a small thanks before picking up his head and taking a proper look at his surroundings. Thomas smirked when he saw James’s face light up like a light bulb as he saw the outskirts of the city. “This is amazing,” he said breathlessly. 

“This?” Thomas said, the smirk even more pronounced than before, “This is just the edge of the city. I can’t wait to see your face when you get to the center.” James didn’t seem to take offense from his statement and continued to behave like a child who had just discovered his new favorite toy. Thomas couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Why was James so cute? Despite being only a bit shorter than Thomas and having broad shoulders, James managed to appear small. Combined with the fact that James was probably the sweetest guy he knew, 

If James had been anyone else, Thomas would have already made a move on him. The only thing that was holding him back was the fact that James would most likely be extremely unnerved by an actual advance on him. The last thing Thomas wanted was to scare off James. Thomas held back a sigh. This was going to take a while. He doubted that James even realized that Thomas was interested in him. 

Honestly, Thomas was surprised that James was so entranced by the city. At the moment he was inspecting a small igloo house. It was made out of large, rectangular blocks of glittering whitish-blue ice. The clean cut blocks were stacked on top of each other creating a rudimentary short wall. Thin ash grey planks of wood were placed on top of the ice walls to form a roof. Packed snow was placed on the wood to create insulation for the houses. 

“Is this your first time being in a city,” Thomas asked, half joking. To his surprise James nodded.

“Whaaat. Did you grow up under a rock or something?” Once more, James nodded. Thomas shook his head in disbelief and rubbed his forehead. 

“We should get going,” Thomas announced after he realized that James wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Without waiting for an answer, Thomas grabbed James’s arm and started dragging him away from the house and down street, which was made from packed snow. James let out a disgruntled squeak and ducked out from under Thomas’s grip. This time, Thomas was able to stop himself from laughing. 

The further they progressed into the city, the grander the city became. Although the buildings were nothing compared to the metal ones that used to stand in its place, they were much better than the ones in other cities. Although Thomas had never properly toured another city before, from the glimpses he had seen when he was sent out on the behalf of Washington to negotiate, his city was hell of a lot better then theirs. 

When they reached a large ice building, Thomas beckoned for James to follow him inside. For an ice building, the temperature inside was startlingly warm. The contrast of the outside to the inside was like night and day. Thomas turned to James and said, “Surprising how warm it is inside isn’t it?” 

James responded with his preferred way of communication: a silent nod. 

Thomas continued to lead until they reached a small doorway. He ducked underneath it and led James into a room bustling with activity. At the center of all the commotion stood a tall, broad man with a bald head and dark skin. Although the man wasn’t doing anything remotely threatening, the way he carried himself was intimidating and seemed to radiate authority the same way the sun radiated light. James seemed to realize that this man was in charge since he asked Thomas, “Is that man Washington?” 

Thomas nodded before responding, “Yeah, come with me.” 

With confident strides, Thomas made his way over to Washington and slapped him on the back as a way of greeting, despite the fact that the two men were not friendly with one another. An immediate cold glare and disapproving frown appeared on Washington’s face. 

“I see you’ve come back from Mr. Capet’s city, Mr. Jefferson,” Washington said levely. 

Thomas flashed a brilliant smile before responding, “Yep. I think Capet is finally going to consider setting up a trade route with us, thanks to my bargaining skills of course. Anyways, that’s not important right now. On my way back I saved this man. He’s right.. Oh wait a second.” Thomas turned around to see James still battling through the crowds. A moment later, James managed to squeeze by two people and pop out besides Thomas. 

“Gwash, this is James Madison. Jemmy, this is George Washington.” Both James and Washington rolled their eyes at the mention of their nicknames before shaking hands. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr Washington,” James said quietly. 

“Pleasure’s mine,” Washington responded. 

Thomas clasped his hands together and exclaimed, “How sweet and civil. Now that’s over let’s get down to business.” Before anyone could object, Thomas launched his explanation on Washington and handed him the map. Although Thomas was speaking at the speed of light, he was reasonably sure that Washington had caught the gist of it. His suspicions were confirmed when Washington hesitantly said, “So you’re basically telling me that Mr. Madison has a map that could lead us all to a place where hypothermia isn’t a problem?” 

Thomas smirked and said “You got it.” 

George quickly turned away and called out to a man passing by. “Mr. Tallmadge, I know you’re busy, but could you go fetch the Marquis? Oh, and if you have time, could you also find, Mr. Hamilton, John Laurens, Aaron Burr, Hercules Mulligan, and Ms. Angelica and Eliza Schuyler?” 

Tallmadge nodded and hurried off. Jefferson’s left eyebrow shot sky high as he looked back at Washington and said, “Whoa. Slow down. What are ya trying to do by inviting them. I mean fine with Angelica and Lafayette, but why Hamilton?” I don’t need that arrogant ass to come in and screw everything to hell. Everything he touches that’s mine withers and dies.

Thomas could tell that Washington was trying extremely hard to not roll his eyes at Thomas. Thomas raised his eyebrow again, basically daring Washington to do it. Although Washington didn’t roll his eyes, he inhaled sharply before speaking. 

“Before I send off anyone on some wild goose chase, I want to validate the map. It’s not that I do not believe you or anything like that,” Washington said, shooting a reassuring glance at James, “I just like to double check. That’s why the Marquis is coming. He’s traveled practically everywhere. He should be able to give us a good idea about whether this map is authentic or not.The rest are part of the Reconnaissance crew. They’ve always been on it. If I have to send people out to find the Emerald Islands, these are the people I want on the job.”

Thomas nodded reluctantly. Before he could say anything else on the matter, Tallmadge strode in with the entire crew in tow. The sight would have been impressive if it wasn’t for Alexander Hamilton, Lafayette, and John Laurens, all of whom were giggling hysterically. 

“This is going to be fun,” Jefferson muttered under his breath. 

Washington quickly summarized what Thomas had told him and handed the map over to this Lafayette, someone who looked nearly identical to Thomas. 

Lafayette carefully examined the map, his eyes methodically moving down the paper. When he handed the map back to Washington, he was basically hopping up and down with excitement. “This map looks authentic to me,” the man declared in a heavy french accent, “Oui, I believe that this is the real thing. This seems to match up with the other things I have seen.” 

Everyone looked around at each other excitedly. This might actually happen. They had a shot at getting out of this waste land. 

Washington clapped his two hands together before stating, “I’m going to go finalize the details of this with the council. Don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want this to turn into some free for all where everyone is trying to steal the map for themselves.” 

Thomas looked pointedly over at Alex before stage whispering, “I don’t think Alexander will be able to do that.” 

“Look here,” Alexander growled.

“Would it hurt for you not to be so much of an ass all the time?” John Laurens said.

Washington briefly closed his eyes before saying in a tiered manner, “And please don’t start a fight before I get back.” With that, Washington left the room.

Thomas immediately got around to introducing everyone to James. “Everyone, this is Jemmy Madison.” 

“Jemmy?” Eliza inquired.

Angelica rolled her eyes before exasperatedly saying, “I think he means James.” 

Thomas groaned dramatically, “Stop interrupting me. James, this is Angelica, Eliza, Lafayette, Aaron, and dick number one, two, and three.” Thomas bowed after finishing his introductions and took a step back.

“Thomas,” Lafayette groaned with only a hint of exasperation.

“I personally object to being called a dick,” Hercules Mulligan announced, “If anything I think Thomas here should change his name to dick.” 

Alexander Hamilton walked up to James and said, “Let’s make this clear. My name is Alex. Not dick.” 

James smiled weakly, “I’m glad it isn’t. It would have been a bit weird to constantly call you that.” Alex broke out into a genuine smile which in turn made James’s smile wider. As Alex stepped away and John Laurens stepped up to properly introduce himself, Thomas felt a pang of jealousy hit him square in the gut. 

“You have your eyes on that one don’t you,” Angelica said from behind him. Thomas jumped and whirled around to face her. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied in what he hoped was an indifferent tone. 

Angelica rolled her eyes, “I’m not blind Thomas. You’ve been staring at him the entire time. Even if you haven’t noticed it, I have. Plus basically anyone who isn’t batshit blind could see how jealous you were of Alex just a second ago.” 

Thomas opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Angelica was one of the few people who could render him speechless. 

“Hm. That’s what I thought,” Angelica said, arms crossed. In a quieter voice, Angelica continued speaking, “Thomas, don’t hurt him.”

“What?” Thomas said, “Angie, why would I hurt him?”

Angelica gave him a knowing a look before saying, “I know what you’re like Thomas. I could see you easily breaking his heart. He seems incredibly sweet and innocent and appears to be a genuinely good man. That’s what draws you in, isn’t it. There’s not a lot of that type of people left. It would be a shame if you broke one of the few that’s left in this hell.” 

Washington reentering the room saved Thomas from having to respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

They had left the city not too long after Washington had given them the last of their instructions and doled out the supplies; which consisted of warmer clothing, food, weapons, and horse like creatures. They were supposed to get to the Emerald Islands and then come directly back if they survived. They were to remember the steps taken on the journey and to make sure to take note of all the dangers they had faced. They also were not to tell anyone what they were doing. The last thing they wanted was for a full on mad slaughter to happen as everyone tried to claim the Emerald Islands for themselves. 

James had managed to convince Washington to allow him to go along. After all, it was his map. Not long after James had decided to go, Thomas declared he was also going, despite Alex’s claims that he would be more of a hindrance than anything else. When Thomas decided on something, it would take none other than an intervention from the universe itself to stop him. 

Lafayette, who was in charge of reading the map, stopped them all in front of the beginnings of what appeared to be a dense forest made up of a mixture of barren trees, with long willowy branches and enormous fir trees that could make an elephant feel small. 

“I just want to tell all you that this is your last chance to back out. There is no way in hell am I going to go through this forest and then bring you back,” Lafayette stated matter of factly.

“Why what’s so bad about it?” Hercules Mulligan asked apprehensively. 

“Don’t you know?” Alex butted in, “This forest is known for the creatures that live here. Apparently packs of wolfbears are the norm. And everyone knows how fucking terrifying those things are.” 

James involuntarily shuddered at the mere mention of the creature. A plain old, hungry pack of wolves was scary enough. But because evolution is an asshole, it allowed ordinary packs of hungry wolves to become packs of wolves the size of grizzly bears, to be a thing. Life just loves us so much, James thought bitterly. 

“There are many more creatures besides that,” Lafayette added, “So if you want back out, leave now.” James noticed that the last portion of his sentence was directed at him. Although they liked him well enough, James knew that the group didn’t really believe that he was cut to survive in the wild. Although he looked strong, there was something about James that made him look small.

Before James could respond, Thomas cut in, sounding mildly defensive. “I think James will be fine. I know he may not look the toughest, but I’m pretty sure he’s better at this surviving thing than any of you are. Hell, he’s been on his own for who knows how long and he’s alright. I don’t think he’ll be backing out anytime soon.” 

Although Lafayette initially looked slightly taken back by Thomas’s outburst, he soon recovered and gave a noncommittal shrug. James shot Thomas a grateful look to which Thomas responded with a hesitant grin that soon transformed into a full out smile. James turned away feeling warm and glowy inside. Unknown to James at the time, but right after he turned away, Angelica threw a knowing smile in Thomas’s direction. 

Without further ado, the group ventured into the depths of the forest. The contrast between the outside and inside of the forest was as immense as the difference between salt and sugar. Although the flat snowy plains were never very bright to begin with, they might as well have been lit up by a 100 watt light bulb when compared to the interior of the forest which was created by the pale, barren branches that intertwined with the long, willowy dark green branches of the fir trees.. The pale rays of sunlight struggled to make it past the canopy of the forest. Only the occasional ray of light lit the way. The only plus side was the fact that only traces of snow was able to make it to half-dead undergrowth of the forest.

It also soon became apparent that there wasn’t enough space for them to ride their horses. It was too difficult to navigate the dense forest on the back of a horse. The solution, albeit not a very good one, was to just lead the horses through the forest on foot. 

Despite the gloomy surroundings, Alexander, John, Hercules, and Lafayette were all chatting merrily without any care about how loud they were. James got the feeling that this often got them into trouble. 

The two sisters, Angelica and Eliza, were off having their own conversation. Apparently Thomas felt left out or ignored because he sauntered up to James with his usual smile/smirk (smlirk?) in place. 

“How do you like the forest so far? Scary huh?” Thomas asked, still with his signature smlirk in place. 

“Why couldn’t we have gone around it?” James muttered.

“The forest is massive. We don’t have time to go around it. Plus I’m pretty sure Lafayette doesn’t know the way around the outside.” 

“Hey!” Lafayette called out to Thomas, “I heard that. I do know the way around.” 

Thomas rolled his eyes before saying teasingly, “Riiight. And Alexander is totally not crushing on John Laurens.” 

Alex turned tomato red while John Laurens turned to look at Alex curiously. 

“Classy, Jefferson,” Eliza said, rolling her eyes. The awkwardness was practically tangible in the air. James had to resit the urge to slowly back away and hide.   
With an annoyed huff, Alex stormed ahead. Not long after, John went after him. 

“How do you guys even operate?” James asked Thomas, “I mean, no offense to anyone or anything, but this doesn’t really seem… professional.”

“Don’t worry we get that comment a lot,” Angelica said, coming up behind James, “I know we can seem childish and argumentative at times; and yes it seems that we all hate each other, but we really do work well together. Even when Thomas tags along with us we get the job done. No matter how tough the situation, we usually manage to pull through.” 

“Usually?” James muttered.

“Mmm. That was touching Angie,” Thomas drawled, “Getting to the deep stuff now are we?” 

Rolling her eyes, Angelica turned back to James and asked him, “Why do you put up with the fucking asshole?” 

James shrugged, “He’s not an asshole all the time in my opinion. He can actually be nice on occasion.” 

Angelica laughed, “I think he only acts like that for you.” 

“What?” James said, bewildered.

“Don’t you think we should be a bit quieter,” Thomas muttered, slightly red in the face, “After all, we are currently in a forest that is inhabited by insanely dangerous creatures.” 

Angelica tossed her curly, black hair over her shoulder. “Talking keeps our spirits up. We need all the cheerfulness we can get in this gloomy as fuck forest.” 

A mere glimpse of the forest is all you need to see that this place isn’t exactly a circus of fun, James thought forlornly, Angelica is right about this place being a sinkhole of gloom. The dark around them seemed almost sinister and capable of swallowing them whole. Everything was cast in a dark shadow, making a normal thing into a nightmare thing. The air also seemed to have a musty attic sort of feeling which just added to the overall gloom factor of the place. 

“Hey,” Thomas said anxiously, nudging James’s shoulder, “You okay? You look sorta down.” 

James cracked a weak smile, “Yeah. I just hate this forest. I give this place a 0 out of 10. Wouldn’t come again.” 

Thomas smiled, something he seemed to be doing more and more often these days.

Before Thomas could formulate a response, a long, piercing howl cut the air. Following that was a loud yell. 

“Wolfbear,” James muttered, eyes wide as dinner plates. 

“And that sounded like Hamilton,” Angelica cried, “We’ve gotta go stat.” 

Eliza, Hercules, and Lafayette started to move, horses in tow. “No time for that,” Thomas roared, streaking past them, “We need to save those two assholes’s asses before they become dinner.”

“Thomas!” Angelica called out, “Slow down! You can’t just charge into this situation blindly. Come back!” 

Angelica’s shouting fell on deaf ears. “Oh shit…” muttered Hercules, “This isn’t going to end well.” 

Without thinking, James took off after Thomas while shouting his name, having no regard for the fact that his shouting might draw the wolfbears towards him. 

James being much shorter and less agile than Thomas, couldn’t keep a pace with him. When James eventually managed to catch up, it was because Thomas had stopped running. And the only reason Thomas had stopped wasn’t because he was winded, but because he ran straight into the problem he was trying to alleviate. 

James rubbed the bridge of his nose and suppressed a groan. This was going to end well. 

The pack of wolfbears was arranged in a semi-circle around Thomas, Alex, and John. The wolfbears were an impressive sight to behold. Their steel colored fur gleamed in the limited sunlight. Their large amber eyes looked oddly human yet absolutely terrifying at the exact same time. James could see the desperation in the creatures’ eyes. He could see it in the way their lean bodies were tensed and in the way their long, bushy tails twitched. These were creatures that were starving for a decent meal. 

The fear on John and Alex’s faces was crystal clear whereas Thomas was trying to shove it down deep and hide it. The three were standing close to one another, weapons at the ready. 

James tried to form a somewhat coherent plan. He couldn’t do what Thomas did and charge blindly into the situation. If he was going to do something, he wanted to make sure that he was far out of harm’s way. James looked for a tall, stable tree he could easily scale. He soon found a sizeable, bare tree with stiff branches that were low enough to the ground for him to grab. 

Every noise James made while climbing the tree made him wince. Although he was reasonably sure that the wolfbears had already smelled him the moment he entered the scene and had just decided to ignore him, James was nervous about drawing their attention to him because he had no clue as to what could happen.

When he finally reached a height that he felt reasonably safe at, James returned to observing the surroundings. It looked like his companions were frozen in place. It was as if they were scared that any sudden moves would frighten the pack into attacking.

James tried to pull up everything from his intellect that he remembered on wolfbears. The easiest way to kill one was to stick an arrow in its neck. They only attack humans when desperately hungry. They attack as a pack led by the alpha. James pressed the pause button on the influx of thoughts so he could concentrate on a sole idea. They attack as a pack led by the alpha. James didn’t have to kill all of them, he just had to kill the one. 

The alpha is always reasonably easy to identify due to the fact that the alpha is the largest, toughest member of the pack. James carefully pulled out his bow which was strapped to his bag and knocked an arrow into place. 

The problem was that James had never been a good shot. Give him a target and ten arrows and he might hit the target two times out of ten. Although James could probably hit the wolfbear, it was likely that it would hit it in a nonlethal place rather than the neck. 

James let out a sigh of frustration. What was he going to do? He couldn’t wait for the rest of the group to show up. By the time they came, there was a serious chance that Thomas, Alex, and John would be nothing more than a pile of bones. He wouldn’t be able to shoot multiple times. If he missed the first shot, there was no doubt that the wolfbears would start attacking. Think Madison, think! You have a brain, right? 

His mind was a tornado of ideas that were quickly either dismissed or discarded. James’s fingers drummed out a nervous rhythm on the rough bark when suddenly an idea clicked. With fingers trembling from nerves, James quickly opened his bag and pulled out his matchbox. He quickly struck a flame and lit the tip of the arrow. All James had to do now was hit the alpha and it would catch fire. Hopefully the alpha would panic causing the other wolfbears to panic as well. James just had to hope that the alpha wouldn’t set everything on fire and that the arrow actually stayed lit. 

With a trembling hand, James pulled back the arrow until the string was taut. After he checked his aim and took a deep breath, James released the arrow and watched as it cut through the air and struck the alpha on its back. 

The effect was instantaneous. The pain of the fire spreading combined with the arrow shot caused the alpha to panic. It started yip loudly and jump around and shake in an attempt to put the fire out. Pandemonium broke out among the other wolfbears. Some tried to run while others stood frozen in place. 

James’s three companions were looking around wildly for the source of the arrow. Thomas’s eyes eventually locked with James and he smiled an actual smile which James returned.

Not wanting to waste the time from the distraction he created, James jumped (more like fell) out of the tree after he climbed half way down. “Come on!” he shouted. 

The other’s needed no other provocation to start running after him. The forest turned to a blur of murky greens and browns as James ran. He gave no heed to the stitch in his side or the scratches he got from the underbrush and low hanging branches. All James was focused on was running as swiftly as he could. He had ran from all of the prior problems in his life and he was planning to run away from this latest threat as well. 

They didn’t stop until the sounds of the wolfbear pack was just a mere memory. Thomas was leaning against a tree while Alex was hunched over, breathing heavily. John was lying flat on his back a bit away from the rest of the group. James was sitting down at the base of a large tree. 

“How the hell did we survive?” Alex huffed.

“We wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for Jemmy.” Thomas gasped. 

James smiled weakly, still exhausted from running. “Glad I could help.” 

“Where’s Laurens?” Alex asked. 

“Over here pretending that what just happened never actually happened.” John Laurens was still lying on the ground. 

Thomas used the tree to stand up straight. “Okay now all we have to do is locate the rest of the group.” 

“How the hell are we going to do that?” Alex groaned, “We practically just ran off into the middle of nowhere. And we don’t even have a map.”   
“I’m sure we’ll find some way to get out of this mess,” James said, “We’ll track them down eventually.” 

Thomas clapped his hands together. “That’s the spirit, Jemmy! I don’t know about you, but I think we should get going. There’s no point in just moping around here.”

“Before we go,” James said, pushing himself up into a standing position, “I want to ask a question.” 

“Shoot.” 

“How the hell did you get ‘Jemmy’ out of the name ‘James’?” 

Thomas laughed. “I’m full of mysteries. Now let’s get going.” 

Without much further chatter, the four men walked off into the forest in search of the rest of their crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but I'm making everything up as I go. For the next chapter, I have two ideas. One: James, Thomas, Alex, and John join back up with the main group. Two: James &co can't find their way back and they have to find the way to the Emerald Islands on their own relying on their memories. The chapters would have branching paths. If you have any particular preference to what happens next, please leave it in the comments. If you don't or you really don't care about the story, you don't have to. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading and feel free to comment or kudo!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this came out a bit late and is a bit shorter than usual. Enjoy!

“Oh my god! You’re all okay!” Eliza shouted as she came tearing through the forest towards Thomas & co. “We all thought you were dead!” 

Hercules, followed by Lafayette came after Eliza. “Hey,” Hercules said nonchalantly, “You had us scared there for a moment.” He went up to John and ruffled his hair as John indignantly tried to duck away. 

“Mon a mi!” Lafayette cried, wrapping Alexander in a bone crushing hug, “Don’t scare us like that ever again.” 

Alex laughed, “Oh come on. We’ve been in worse situations than that many times and came out okay. And let’s try and keep quiet for once. That’s what got us into trouble the first time around.” 

“Everyone knows that that won’t happen,” Angelica snorted, finally catching up with the group, “Give us one minute of silence and we’ll be back to screaming and running around like children.”

“True that!” Thomas called out. Everyone laughed and Angelica rolled her eyes and made her way towards him and James. 

Thomas raised and eyebrow as she came, “I don’t see you running over to see if we’re okay.” 

Angelica laughed, “Oh come on. You’ve done stupider things and survived.” Angelica nudged his arm. “Hey, I knew you would be fine in the end.” 

Thomas shot a fake glare at her. That’s the Angelica we know and love, he thought with mingled exasperation and good humor. 

James coughed politely before saying, “Does this sort of thing happen a lot?” 

“What? Us running into dangerous situations and nearly getting ourselves killed?” Angelica questioned somewhat sarcastically. 

James, choosing to ignore the heavy sarcasm, nodded.

Thomas intervened and said, “Yes. From the times I’ve been here this seems to happen every other day.” 

James opened his mouth to ask another question but Angelica answered his questions before he even asked. “Thomas only comes along some of the time. Sometimes he comes along to act the diplomat and other times he comes along when he isn’t busy.”

“I’m technically on the team but I’m usually to busy with my other job: lying to other cities in an effort to secure their alliance.” 

James snorted, “Is that my basic 101 intro to politics?” 

Angelica shrugged and said, “Basically.” 

Thomas clapped James shoulder, “Welcome to modern civilization, Jemmy. You should have just stayed out in the wild.” 

“But then I wouldn’t have met you,” James responded jokingly.

Angelica shot a sideways glance at Thomas who had a hopeful expression creeping up onto his face. “Don’t get your hopes up,” Angelica muttered so only Thomas could hear. 

Raising her voice again, Angelica engaged James in conversation and led him back to the main group. 

Although Thomas knew that James meant what he said as a joke, he couldn’t stop that ember of hope that was burning in his stomach. The ember was threatening to turn into a bonfire and consume his every waking thought. 

Thomas knew that what he was thinking was ridiculous. He barely knew the man for hell’s sake! So far, James hadn’t mentioned anything about his past or his life before he met the group. For all he knew, James might have been a murderer bent on world domination. All Thomas knew was the name and the timid, glowing smile that occasionally crossed his face. Despite that knowledge, Thomas couldn’t push James out of his thoughts. 

He also knew that Angelica was watching from the sidelines, waiting for Thomas to crash and burn with James. She wasn’t watching out of jealousy, no, she was watching because she knew him too well. Angelica had watched as Thomas charmed women and men alike and then left them in the ashes of their relationship without so much as a shred of hope to cling to. 

Although Thomas was sure that Angelica prefered not to become unduly attached to people, he knew that Angelica cared for him and was warming up to James at the pace of a comet streaking through the air. She wouldn’t want to watch Thomas charm James and then leave him as hopeless as a ship on a deserted island. 

The problem was, Thomas got bored easily. He himself knew that he had this problem. But for Angelica’s, James’s and his own sake, he prayed that this would happen. With every fiber of his body he hoped that he wouldn’t leave James shipwrecked. 

*****

The next two days passed uneventfully as they trekked through the forest. At the moment, they still had food supplies and hadn’t had to resort to hunting just yet. 

Leading the group, as usual, was Lafayette with Alex, Hercules, and John chatting happily by his side. A few yards behind them were Angelica and Eliza, the two inseparable sisters. Bringing up the rear was James and Thomas. 

Despite telling himself not to get his hopes up on multiple occasions, Thomas did just that whenever he and James were together. Although James hadn’t given any sign that he was romantically inclined to Thomas, he did seem to enjoy being in his presence. For the most part, Thomas would just talk and James would occasionally interject his comments here and there. They never failed to make Thomas smile. Although James didn’t talk much, when he did, it was worth listening to what he had to say. 

It was around dusk when they encountered the first river in their path. It didn’t look to be too much of an obstacle. Despite being rather deep, it was rather narrow and the currents didn’t appear to be too strong; but looks can be deceiving. When Hercules took a stick and stuck it into the water, it was immediately pulled under and swept away, never to be seen again. 

The solution to this problem was proposed by Angelica, who was undoubtedly one of the smartest on the crew; which was saying a lot considering the fact that there were people like Alexander, Thomas, and James that were also on it.

With deft hands, Angelica had taken a long piece of rope and swung it over a long, sturdy branch that hung low across the river. Using the rope, Angelica was able to swing across the river and land on the other side. Soon followed the rest of the crew until only Thomas and James were on the other side. 

Thomas gestured for James to take the rope next. After only a moment of hesitation, James stepped up, grabbed the rope, and swung across. Midway across, there was a loud snap. Foa millisecond, everything seemed to still as everyone watched with horror as the tree branch they had been using as a means of crossing snapped. Everyone was jerked back to their sense when James crashed into the water with a loud splash. 

Thomas, with his usual recklessness, didn’t think twice before diving into the water without any regard for his own safety. He heard Angelica scream, his name before being completely submerged. 

The current under the water immediately began tugging at Thomas’s legs. With desperate, flailing arms, he tried to escape the river’s grasp. His head briefly popped up before being dragged right back down again. Despite all of this, Thomas was desperately trying to find James. With ars that were already sore, and tired, he struggled through the waters currents trying to find him. It was like playing pin the tail on the donkey. He was blinded by the onslaught of dark water, dizzy, and trying to latch onto something. 

The lack of oxygen was starting to get to Thomas. His crusade against the water was becoming noticeably weaker. The light above him seemed to get fainter and fainter as he entered the waters’ depth. The murky, saphire-brown water whipped around the sandy dirt at the bottom of the river and little twigs and leaves that had the misfortune to be dragged into this hurricane of a river. With a thrust of his arms, Thomas manage to pop his head above the water once more and grab a breath before being brought back down again. Thomas could sense that he needed to get out of the water soon or else he wouldn’t get out at all. 

Thomas felt a faint touch on his arm. Whipping around desperately, Thomas managed to catch a glimpse of James. Without a second thought, Thomas grabbed James’s arm and started swimming to what he hoped was the riverbank. Unfortunately, the river had other plans and dragged the pair in the other direction with its cruel, cold fingers. Thomas struggled vainly to get back to the surface. His efforts were rewarded when he managed to break through the surface for a breath of air for James and himself. A quick glance around showed Thomas that the bank was near. 

With renewed determination, Thomas cut through the barrage of water. The muddy bank was coming nearer. Almost there, Thomas thought. He reached out and the tips of his fingers grazed the bank before he was once more plunged deep under water. No, He silently cried out, we’re almost there! This can’t be the end. 

Suddenly, Thomas felt a strong grip on his arm that was sure to leave bruises later. At the moment, he didn’t care. He was just glad that his venture into the river would soon be over. 

Thomas was placed lying down on the river bank gasping for air by Hercules. Lafayette had managed to snatch James out of the water moments later. Eliza, deeming that James was in worse shape than Thomas, ran over to a lifeless James to check his vitals. Eliza immediately set about doing a bunch of procedures that a waterlogged Thomas didn’t understand. After a few tense minutes, Eliza stepped away, the worry that was on her brow now nonexistent. “He’ll be fine,” Eliza said breathlessly. 

A cheer rose up from the crew at the good news. Thomas, after being fussed over by Eliza, stood up and sat by James who was blinking rapidly as he tried to regain his composure.

“Hey,” Thomas asked, his voice laced with concern, “Are you okay?”

James nodded before sitting up. “Yeah I’m fine. What about you?” 

Thomas shrugged as he said, “I’ll live.” 

Angelica laughed and rested a hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “Being the drama queen as usual. He’s fine.” 

James still wore a concerned expression on his face. “You know you didn’t have to do that, Thomas,” he said with serious eyes. 

With a raised eyebrow, Thomas declared indignantly, “What? You’re going to lecture me? After I just rescued you? I think I deserve a thank you at the very least.” 

James let out what sounded like a half cough half laugh before saying, “Yes, I’m sorry about forgetting. Thank you Thomas was saving me from the river.” 

“Better,” Thomas said, offering a hand to James as he stood up, “Now that that bullshit is done with, I think we should get moving again.” 

“Then let us go,” Lafayette said wasting no time as he bounded off into the forest with his usual energy, “There is not time to waste! Come along! We do not want to keep the General waiting!”

“The General?” James asked, “Does he mean Washington?” 

Thomas rolled his eyes, “Yep. Don’t get me wrong. Lafayette is a nice guy. He can just be a bit over enthusiastic when it comes to Washington.” 

“Well we don’t want to be left behind,” Angelica said, already following Lafayette, “Come on now.” 

With that, they ventured back into the forest once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments! They make my day. Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated. And as always, thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

James was not a dumb guy. Nor was he as naive and oblivious to Thomas’s advancements as he let on. It was just easier to shove that particular problem into a hole, bury it, and then pray that it never resurfaced. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Thomas. Contrary to that, he liked Thomas, a lot. But as a friend. Of course as a friend. Why would he be anyone else? There was absolutely nothing else that popped up into his mind when the name Thomas was said. That’s what James liked to tell himself anyways. 

James might have been more willing to confront Thomas about this if he hadn’t immediately picked up on the fact that Thomas could probably get a gold medal in heartbreaking if it was an olympic sport. Although James didn’t believed himself to be a good judge of character, it took to special skill to pick out this particular aspect of Thomas. James could see it in the way Thomas smiled, the way he walked, the way he acted, and even in the way he walked. Falling for this man would be like playing with fire. Scratch that. Falling for that man would be like playing with a flamethrower. 

There was no way James was going to get attached to a man that would love him one moment and then drop him the next for a new, cute face. Besides, it wasn’t like James really liked Thomas anyway. Yes, James did find Thomas’s always light mood uplifting and his actual, real smile endearing. Thomas also didn’t look half bad either. But James wasn’t interested. Really. 

Besides, James thought to himself bitterly, everyone I love seems to get hurt. Look at what happened to my family. I wouldn’t want that to happen to Thomas as well. I don’t want another heartbreak. 

*****  
After a week of trudging through the forest without any further incidents, they came back out on the snowy tundra. It was a relief to get out of the forest. After being confined to the dark, dusty gloom of the forest, the thin, gray light found on the tundra was as bright as lightning. 

It soon became apparent that James wasn’t the only one glad to be out. With a joyous cry, Lafayette sprinted away from the group and out of the edge of the wood and onto the snowy tundra with the speed and excitement of a kid on Christmas. He proceeded to attempt to execute a cartwheel He ended up getting his hands stuck in the deep snow and face planting on the ground. 

Alex, John, and Hercules started to laugh uproariously. Lafayette soon picked himself up and started laughing along with them. A sideways glance at Eliza showed that she was stifling a smile and laugh. Angelica let out a long sigh before muttering, “Why does everyone on this team act like a fucking five year old that ate too much fucking sugar?”

Thomas laughed at that and James felt a small grin cross his face. With purposeful strides, Angelica went over to Lafayette and plucked the map out of his hand, glanced down at the map briefly, and then began to walk away. She paused for a moment and then called over her shoulder, “Come on dambasses, we need to get going.” 

“How come Angelica gets to call you all dubasses without any retribution but the moment I do you all start whining,” Thomas grumbled. 

 

“That’s because she isn’t an annoying ass prick for the moment part,” Alex said.

“Hey,” James said nudging Thomas’s arm, “Remember that Angelica is scarier than anyone else we know. No one wants to annoy her.”

Thomas’s frown lessened slightly. James nudged Thomas’s arm once more and said, “Come on, we should probably follow Angelica before she leaves us for the wolves.” 

Together the group walked off. 

*****   
“Oh. My. God,” Eliza gasped, “This place is adorable!” The adorable thing in question was a small, rustic village. Unlike Washington’s city, the houses here actually looked like time and effort was put into the craftsmanship. Washington city was one of efficiency. Although the city was massive, everything there was on the shabby side. On the other hand, this village was tiny even by modern day standards. Even the houses were miniscule one story structures crafted out of polished, oak wood. The roofs were surprisingly also made out of wood and actually looked half decent. It was no wonder Eliza was practically radiating happiness. 

“At the center of town their is a small market we can pick up more supplies,” Lafayette informed the group, “I have come here multiple times. The people are friendly but a bit subdued in my opinion.”

Hercules snorted. “Everyone seems subdued when compared to you, Lafayette.”

Lafayette chose to ignore Hercules. Instead, he set off for the center of the city at a fast trot. “Come along friends! We’ve got places to be. Let’s go!” 

“Good luck with that,” Thomas said teasingly, “You should know that when James first arrived in Washington’s city he spent forever just staring at stuff. It took forever to move a foot.”

James huffed and crossed his arms.

Despite trying to stay on task, James couldn’t help but lag behind as he tried to memorize the details of the city. Thomas ended up having to drag James along by the arm to make sure he kept up. 

The market, like the rest of the city, had a very rural, quaint feel to it. There were stands with their own mini roofs stationed around the clearing. A light layer of snow rested on the edge of their counters and on the roofs, causing everything to glitter brightly. The snow had been shoveled away to reveal an imperfect yet beautiful cobblestone road. Many villagers were strolling through the place giving no heed to the newcomers in their midst. The scene felt like something out of a postcard; something that only appeared in fairytales.

WIthout so much as a warning, Lafayette ran off into the crowd to do who knows what. “I guess we’re not getting any help from him,” Angelica grumbled. 

Without further ado, Angelica went off to get more supplies. Eliza joined up with Hercules, John, and Alex and went off to the other side of the market leaving James alone with Thomas. 

“Come on!” Thomas said, “There’s so much to see here.” 

James frowned for a moment. “Shouldn’t we be helping Angelica gather supplies?” 

“She has that covered. Plus I’m willing to bet that none of the others are helping either.” Without waiting for James to respond, Thomas hooked his elbow around James’s arm and started to guide him around the market.

The smell of crisp sharp spices intertwined with the ashy smoke of the fires creating an odd, but nonetheless pleasant smell. The owners of the booths were constantly yelling in an effort to advertise their presence. Families chatted with one another as they waited in line at one of the booths or as they walked down the street. Little children raced down the street laughing at shouting with snowballs in their hands. In this village, it was hard to remember that the rest of the world was a no man’s land. Here, it was easy to forget the struggle and strife of regular life. 

Thomas and James were chatting about the map when Thomas stopped suddenly at one of the booths and started to glare intently at whatever the booth was serving. “What is it?” James asked.

“What is that?” Thomas asked, his face a mask of disgust. The street vendor apparently heard what Thomas had said and shot him a fierce glare. James grabbed Thomas’s arm and led him away. 

“Please try to keep your voice down,” James sighed, “I don’t want you to end up starting a riot here.” 

“What,” Thomas cried indignantly, “I was being honest. I had no idea what the hell that thing is. It looks like shit.”

“It’s racoon meat,” James said while rolling his eyes, “It’s honestly not that bad.” 

“You’ve eaten that before?” Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes, I have. Desperate times call for desperate measures.” James raised an eyebrow and a trace of a smile came over his face. “Now let’s go. Try not to start a war while we’re here.” 

“Yeah, I’m not sure that’s possible,” Thomas snorted.

“Let’s go,” James said rolling his eyes. James grabbed Thomas’s hand lead him back into the bustling market place.

They continued to walk through the square without further incident. Thomas had traded in a few of the herbs in his satchel for two mugs of hot liquid. (James wasn’t exactly sure what it was but it tasted pretty good) Thomas had gone back to linking arms with James as they walked through the place. The slowly lowering sun cast a warm, orange tinge across the snow and bathing the area with a soft glow. The store owners slowly started to pack up as the people left, replacing the noise filled air with a more silent, one. Soon, aside from the soft crunching of snow under their boots, there was no noise, only peace. 

“Today was actually fun,” James said, for once actually initiating the conversation.

“Why?” Thomas said jokingly, “Because of the market or because of me.” 

“Maybe a little bit of both,” James responded looking off at the sunset. 

Thomas grabbed James’s shoulder and turned him around so he was facing him one more. The fading sun outlined Thomas’s figure with a golden glow. His brown eyes that usually held a teasing light expression in them had softened and turned more seriousness. Thomas gently took both of James’s hands in his own, large, soft hands. And for the first time, James saw something like uncertainty cross Thomas’s face, as if he didn’t know what to do next. James’s didn’t know why, but his heart had started to pound loudly in his chest as he looked back into Thomas’s eyes. But just as Thomas was about to say something, a scream rang out loud and clear. 

“Angelica,” Thomas muttered, “If she’s screaming, that means something really bad just happened. We’ve got to go.” 

Thomas grabbed James’s arm as they ran across the marketplace, trying to find the origin of the scream. It didn’t take to long to find out where it was and why it happened. 

There was a group of people all armed to the tooth. They were wearing long silver furs that presumably came from wolf bears (AN: Yes, I’m aware of how stupid that name is). Leading them was a tall woman, with long, straight black hair that framed a study, square looking face. She had small dark brown eyes that had a murderous gleam in her eye. She had Angelica pinned to her chest and a knife over her neck. “Now she said,” in a low, throaty growl, “Give us the map or she loses her head.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that was a pretty slow chapter. And sorry about the cliffhanger. I got tired of writing. Anyways, thanks for reading and hopefully, I'll see you all again in the next chapter. Like always, feel free to comment, give feedback, give suggestions, and leave kudos. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the really... really... late update... I'm going to try and get the next chapter up really soon to make up for it.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. This isn’t good. Not good at all. Thomas knew that they couldn’t give back them the map. That was basically admitting defeat, and defeat was not an option. But if they didn’t comply with this group wishes, Angelica was dead meat. All Thomas could do was stand around with James, Eliza, Alexander, John, and Hercules. Any sudden move on their parts would make Angelica’s next breath her last one. 

One look at Angelica’s face was enough to tell Thomas the she was expecting the group to leave her to die. She was needlessly heroic like that. Thomas couldn’t help but note that it was slightly ironic that he was the one chastising Angelica for her antics. Usually it was James and Angelica doing the lecturing. James would lecture Thomas with his small, soft voice while Angelica would scream that he was a motherfucking idiot. He loved the two more than life itself. 

Thomas sighed. The day had started so well. Everyone had been laughing and joking as life’s struggles had slowly been lifted from their minds. And he had nearly kissed James! Only inches had separated their lips. Thomas didn’t know what James had been thinking, but Thomas was dead sure that it was going to happen. 

A curt, gravely voice disrupted Thomas’s rambling thoughts. “We need the map,” the woman growled, “Hand it over or else she loses her head.” 

Thomas did the only thing he could do. With a dazzling, disarming smile and an open face, he stepped up and started talking. “Look,” he said, stalling for time, “I don’t think we have this map that you’re looking for. What makes you think that we have it?” 

“One of the shopkeepers told us you had it.” Thomas groaned internally at the thought. They had been talking about the map and their group when Thomas had asked about that fucked up piece of meat that was supposedly a racoon. Was this the shopkeepers way of getting revenge? If so, fuck him. 

“I knew this was going to come back to haunt us,” James muttered miserably. 

Alexander jumped into the negotiations by asking, “How do you know the shopkeeper wasn’t lying?” 

“What would he gain from lying to us?” the woman answered with narrowed eyes, “Now hand over the map. I don’t have time for your pathetic games.” The hand on the knife pushed down on the blade of the knife so a thin, ragged red line appeared on her dark skin. A slight widening of her eyes was the only sign Angelica made to acknowledge the fact that her death was impending. 

“Look,” Alex growled, “Just let her go before we have to hurt you. I don't really care how many of you little shits have to die if it means-” 

John grabbed Alex’s arm and muttered under his breath, “Can it Ham. I don’t think insulting or threatening them will get you anywhere. Your negotiation skills aren't the best.” 

Alexander muttered back jokingly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have all the skills of a negotiator. I'm nice, patient, and not at all aggravating.” 

John snorted at the comment and opened his mouth to reply. James cut him off with two polite coughs and said, “I don't want to be rude, but I really don't think this is the time.” 

It was amazing that even through crisis the group still had time to make jokes. Thomas wasn’t quite sure whether he should be alarmed or pleased about that. What he did know was that it sure as hell wasn’t helping any of them at the moment. 

The woman holding Angelica captive was starting to get impatient. The hand holding the knife was twitching ever so slightly and her foot was tapping out a quick, erratic beat. Thomas decided to try and talk her down once more. “Look,” he said, talking slowly. One wrong word would spell the end of Angelica. “I really don’t think it would be in your best interest to pick a fight with us. We’ve been sent by Washington to do this job.” 

An eyebrow was raised at the mention of Washington’s name. “Why should I care about that?” She asked. 

Thomas suppressed a sigh. Did she not know who he was? She should be trembling in her boots at the mere mention of his name! The man was practically a living legend. When 

Thomas next spoke, he made sure to keep his tone even and his face emotionless so not to offend the group. “I’m talking about George Washington. He was the man who fought and beat King George and his kingdom to gain freedom for his city. He led a young and struggling nation to greatness single handly. He’s known for helping to unite the city and bring around the downfall of the power hungry King George.” 

The woman paused for a moment to consider Thomas’s statement. Thomas waited with bated breath for her answer. “Yeah,” she said nonchalantly, “I think I know him.” 

“Then you should know that he is not a man you should anger,” Thomas continued, “If you were to let harm befall any of us, I am certain Washington will wish to catch the perpetrators of the situation. Although I am sure that you and your group are brilliant fighters, I doubt that you could withstand the might and anger of Washington. Especially if he comes backed by his army.” 

This time, the woman didn’t even pause to consider his words. Instead, she scoffed, “I think you underestimate me and my group. I’m damn sure that we could hide from your precious Washington any day of the week. Now, enough chit chat. Hand over the map.” 

Back to square one, Thomas internally groaned. This wasn’t going well. This was bad. Level four blizzard bad. Erupting volcano bad. James-friend-zoning-him bad. The hope he had been carrying had been extinguished like a candle with a bucket of water dumped over it. 

Suddenly, James started coughing loudly. Every now and then, he would take deep, shuddering breaths before resuming his coughing fit, James fell to his knees, still hacking away. Every eye was on him. There was great alarm on Eliza and Hercules’s face and stunned looks of disbelief from the rest. They were all wondering what form of sickness had taken this man at this inopportune time. Only Thomas realized something was off. Although James did cough a lot, sometimes to alleviate the silence of an awkward conversation but mostly because he was naturally a sickly person, but when that did happen, James would usually try to downplay the situation and pretend he was okay. He never threw giant fits like this. Thomas carefully watched James for any sign that could help him understand the true motive behind this. 

With one arm, James covered his mouth and obscured most of his face. At the moment, only Thomas could see James’s face. It was a good thing to that he could see it. In between coughs, James was mouthing words. Shoot her. You have to shoot her.

The realization that James’s dramatic coughing fit was actually a distraction finally dawned on Thomas. Not wanting to waste another millisecond, Thomas immediately brought up his bow in a fluid manner and knocked an arrow in place. His long, thin fingers pulled back the string until it was quivering with tension. It was as if it to could sense the stress that hung over the group like a heavy fog. 

Thomas’s sudden movement brought everyone’s attention away from James and back to him. The woman narrowed her eyes and doubled the pressure on the knife. A small droplet of blood welled up and landed in the snow, dying the ground a cherry scarlet. Angelica bit her lip and glanced down at the shining blade nervously. 

“Shoot and she dies,” the woman hissed. 

“Cut her and you die,” Thomas growled back, “I think we have a stalemate. Why don’t you let her go and no one gets hurt. That sounds like a hell of a deal to me.” 

The woman’s eyes flashed dangerously as she spat, “I’ve spent my whole life trying to get out of this hell and I won’t let a little blood stop me. You’ll have to kill me before I give up. But I don’t think you’re so willing to make that sacrifice, now are you.” 

“You don’t know me,” Thomas shot back, praying that she wouldn’t spot his bluff, “I might prefer to keep her alive, but that doesn’t mean I won’t let her die if it means keeping the map. And wouldn’t it be a waste if you died for nothing?” 

The woman only hesitated for a moment before redoubling the pressure on the knife as she hissed, “I don’t think you’re as unfeeling as you pretend to be. I think you would care if she died.” 

Thomas pulled back the arrow farther. It was hard to keep him hand steady due to the fact that his hand was trembling and shaking as much as an earthquake in California. He was ready to shoot at a moments notice if it came to that. But it didn’t.

The woman holding Angelica suddenly crumpled to the ground with an arrow sticking out of her neck. A brief flash of surprise flew over her face before it became blank and emotionless. Thomas whipped around to see Lafayette come riding in on his horse nocking another arrow into place. 

“Come on, mon amis,” he cried, “We must get going before I have to make any more of their uniforms redder with bloodstains. I left your horses a short way away. Come along now!” 

Lafayette galloped off on his horse into the sunset, every aspect of him playing the part of the gallant hero. The group didn’t need to be told twice. Thomas and James went back and pulled Angelica to her feet and started chasing after Lafayette before their attackers could react.   
They made it to their horses and immediately set off, wanting to put as much distance between the village and them as possible. Only after half an hour of fast paced riding did they dare to slow down. They found a somewhat sheltered place to set up camp and quickly set about coaxing a fire out of the wet wood. The entire time, Lafayette was chattering about what he had been doing when he had rescued Angelica. 

“I had been visiting some of my friends in the village,” Lafayette had declared, with a twinkle in his eye, “When I heard the sound of screaming. I did not think it would be a good idea to rush in blindly. Instead I hung back. When I saw what was going on, I waited for an opportunity to strike. When the woman had been thoroughly focused on Thomas, I knew it was time.” 

“I didn’t know you could do that,” James admitted.

Lafayette raised an eyebrow playfully. “What,” he said semi-indignantly, “Did you think I was on the team just as, how do you people in Washington say it? Oh! Did you just think I was the comic relief of the team? I can actually do stuff you know!” 

James let out his usual shy laugh and Thomas slid over to sit by him. “So,” Thomas asked, smiling, “Did you enjoy yourself today?” 

“It was pretty nice until that end bit,” James responded. He to was smiling. 

Thomas tried to gather the courage to talk about that almost kiss. He desperately wanted to talk about it but he didn’t know how to bring it up. It was so unlike him for something like that to happen. Usually he knew exactly what to say at any given moment. But around James, it was different. He always wanted to see James happy or at the least make him smile. Thomas wasn’t sure why, but he just wanted to make him happy. He was praying that he wouldn’t screw this the fuck up.

“Thomas?” James asked, uncertainty crossing his face. 

Thomas snapped out of his reverie and quickly said, “I was just thinking how much I enjoyed this day as well. Maybe next time we can just spend it together without any sudden hostage situations.” 

A slight smile came over James’s face as he said, “I think I would like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! And feel free to leave comments and feedback. If you have any suggestions, you can also leave those. Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Until next time!
> 
> -Ember


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I to so long to update... I had to take a brief hiatus when my workload picked up. Anyways, I'll try (note the word try) to update more frequently now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

It rested over them like a dark storm cloud. But instead of carrying rain, this cloud carried panic and hysteria. The cloud threatened to break at any moment and drench its occupants in a wave of panic. 

The reason for the panic was the descending wall of rolling white snow. It moved towards them with a growl that was louder than thunder. Some attempted to run away. Others stood rooted to the spot, fear turning them to stone. In the end, it did not matter what they did. Death was inevitable for all of those who were on the mountain. 

Slowly, the avalanche of snow trapped its victims and squeezed the life out of them, leaving only the shell of their bodies for their family and friends to find. The terrified wails of those nearly overcome by the snow intertwined with the saddened cries of those who had to watch those dear to their hearts fall to the cold hands of death. 

It was a sight that could bring tears to the eyes of the coldest of men and women. Children barely old enough to walk had to watch as their parents gasped for breath. Some of the grief stricken children ran towards their parents and the avalanche. Parents would try to push their children away so they would keep running. Before child or parent could do anything else, the hurricane of snow would overtake them. Together life and together in death. The small hand of a child held in the death grip of a parent. 

All James could do was watch as lives were extinguished like a candle that burned out too soon. A cold, sick feeling clenched at his stomach. It was hard to think all of a sudden. His head felt abnormally light and everything seemed slow and hazy. A sort of mind fog clogged his head, numbing the pain of the sight. 

He couldn’t help but reach out towards his friends and family. With a cry that seemed somewhat detached from himself, James stumbled away from the base of the mountain and started running. The sound of his loved ones screams echoed in his heads. The faces of each person flashed before his eyes. Their warm smiles and eyes full of joy pained James beyond belief. It was hard to comprehend the fact that none of them would laugh, smile, or cry ever again. 

James ran. And ran. And ran. Away from the mountain. Away from the pain. Away from the terror. Away from the desperation. 

Hot tears pricked the edges of his eyes. And as he ran, the only thought that ran through his head were the words not again. 

James bolted up. He groaned softly and placed his heads in his hands. That particular dream had taken to haunting him recently. Ever since he had joined up with the group, nightmares had become a normal part of his everyday existence. 

Tilting his head sideways, James was able to see all of his friends sleeping peacefully. Sure some of them could be annoying at times, *cough cough* Alexander Hamilton “cough cough*, but for the most part, he loved being with them. After years of being alone, he finally had a family. Sure, their family might be slightly dysfunctional, but all families were like that.   
After a second longer, James tore his eyes away from his friends and abruptly stood up and started to walk away from the group. James needed to clear his head and he couldn’t do that here without being reminded of his old family. 

The night was dead silent except for the occasional wolf howl and the steady crunching of snow under James’s feet. He wasn’t walking with any particular goal in mind. He was simply wandering with the hope that he could forget his worries. 

He came to a stop at the top of a hill. From there, James could see everything. Snow glittered like broken shards of glass in the white glow of the full moon. The trees in the distance stood out against the pure white snow. Millions of little stars were scattered throughout the pitch black sky. James had to admit that his world was beautiful. 

The peace was disrupted by the sound of crunching snow. James didn’t turn around to confront the stranger. He knew exactly who it was. Despite the fact that James had only known Thomas for a month, James was able to identify him by the sound of his foot falls. 

“Hey,” Thomas said, his voice much softer and gentler than usual. James merely nodded in response. 

“You all right?” Thomas asked, now slightly concerned. Although James was known for his silent manner, James usually responded with something more than a nod when around Thomas. 

Once more James responded with a nod. At the moment, James just couldn’t bring himself to talk. His throat felt unnaturally tight and hot tears pricked the corners of his eyes. 

“Why are you up?” Thomas asked. 

“I could ask the same about you,” James replied. 

“But I asked first.” James stifled an exasperated sigh. James knew that Thomas meant well, but sometimes the way Thomas chose to approach difficult topics was rather childish.

“I fancied a walk,” James muttered, not wanting to divulge the details of his dream. Merely thinking about the incident was enough to bring tears to his eyes. James didn’t want to imagine how painful it would be to actually talk about it. 

“Why are you out?” James asked again. 

“You see,” Thomas began with a smirk, “I have always felt a deep connection between the two of us. When you got up, the connection between us woke me up. That same connection then led me to you.”   
James raised an eyebrow with and had a skeptical expression on his face. 

“Fine,” Thomas grumbled, his voice full of mock exasperation, “I’m a light sleeper and I heard you get up. I then saw your footprints and followed them here.” 

“Nice to know I have a stalker,” James said with a faint smile. Thomas returned the grin with a large one of his own. 

James’s smile suddenly faltered and he looked away. It had been a while since he had a family. After the death of his old one, James hadn’t wanted to get close to anyone. The thought of another heartbreak was enough to get James to push people away. This behaviour combined with the fact that James naturally wasn’t a talkative person made him seem like a recluse; or someone who disliked humanity in general. The last thing James wanted was for Thomas’s smiling face to be added to the ranks of his dead loved ones. 

Thomas rested a gentle hand on James’s shoulder and turned him so he was facing Thomas. Thomas’s face was lined with worry and his eyebrows were knitted together in concern. “Now I know something’s not right.” 

A noncommittal shrug was the only thing James did to acknowledge the fact that he had heard Thomas. 

“You know you can always talk to me, right?” Thomas stated while observing his friend’s (who knew what they were) face closely. 

“Yeah,” James said as sincerely as he could. James didn’t want Thomas to get the wrong idea. He really did appreciate the offer. After being alone for so long, having support from another person was a foreign concept to him. James wasn’t sure what to do with this new present from Thomas. 

“So… do you want to talk about it?” Thomas asked, his voice full of hope. James couldn’t say he was surprised by Thomas’s approach. Thomas had never been known for his subtleness. 

“Not really,” James muttered as he shrugged Thomas’s hand off his shoulder.

“It’s not because I don’t trust you or anything like that,” James sighed as he saw Thomas’s face crumble into an expression of hurt, “It’s just… that this is really personal for me. I.. haven’t really told anyone about this and I don’t… I don’t think I’m ready to tell someone.” 

James shifted nervously from foot to foot as he waited for Thomas’s response. James was already regretting what he said. Part of him thought that he shouldn’t have said anything at all while the other half of him was wondering why he didn’t just spill all his secrets to Thomas; after all, he did trust him. Oh shit, Thomas must think he must not trust him now because he didn’t say anything. Thomas was going to be so angr-.

Jame’s frantic thoughts were suddenly caught off when Thomas grabbed James and wrapped his lanky arms around James’s broad shoulders and pulled him into a hug. For a moment, James froze and his body tensed up. A moment later, James relaxed and let his head rest on Thomas’s chest. 

“I just want you to know that I’ll always be here for you,” Thomas murmured, “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon and I’ll always be here when you’re ready to talk.”

James didn’t respond verbally, but wrapped his shorter arms around his friend's thin frame. Being with Thomas felt right. Despite the fact that James was standing in the middle of a dangerous, freezing tundra, James had never felt so warm or safe. It felt like sitting in front of a blazing fire in a cozy cabin but a thousand times better.

At the moment, the only thing in the world was Thomas and their tight embrace. Thomas rocked gently back and forth from foot to foot. With his long, thing fingers, Thomas rubbed small circles in the small of James’s back. Thomas’s long curls tickled the top of James’s head. 

All James could do was hold on to Thomas. Thomas was James’s rock. If he let go of Thomas, James was certain that he would be swept away in his river of problems. As long as he was with Thomas, he was safe. He felt like a ragdoll in Thomas’s strong arms, but that didn’t matter.

The moon shone down on the pair, giving them a silver silhouette. The snow remained untouched and the trees still stood as impassive as ever. The night was dead silent. Even the wolves had stopped their howling. James and Thomas were oblivious to all of this. They only had thoughts of each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I may have made up some facts to accommodate this story. James Madison didn't actually lose all of his family, but he did lose six of his siblings. But then again, this entire story is based off of my own made up world so one more inaccuracy hopefully won't hurt. Also, sorry if Thomas was to OOC. I just have it imagined that TJeffs has this one soft spot for James. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it! I'm always open to questions, constructive criticism, and suggestions. It would be helpful if you commented or left kudos! And as always, thanks for reading and (hopefully) I'll see you all in the next chapter!


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